Second Chance
by Pam t3h Spam
Summary: [COMPLETE 5.24.03] Inuyasha follows Kagome through the well, only to find himself in the world of fifty years ago. Stuck in the past with no way out, Inuyasha is is forced to face the one choice he has tried desperately to avoid: Kikyou or Kagome?
1. Back Then When We Were Two

Second Chance 

By Sango-chan

Chapter One

Back Then When We Were Two

"Inuyasha!"  

_Hm?_  The dog demon half turned in mid-leap to face the direction that the voice came from.  

Ssssthunk!  

The arrow zipped out of nowhere incredibly fast, burying itself deeply into Inuyasha's chest.  Shocked, he touched the wound, feeling for blood, and was surprised to find there was no pain.  As his fingers brushed the arrow, an electrical jolt sizzled through his bones, stunning him with its magical power.  _An entrapments spell!  But who…?  _Inuyasha sank into darkness and the last thing he saw was Kikyo standing before him, holding a bow and a quiver of arrows…

Inuyasha woke up drenched with a cold sweat, almost falling off of the tree limb he slept on.  Looking around, he remembered where he was and his body relaxed a notch.  Softly leaping onto the ground, the hanyou silently padded off into the forest by himself.  As he neared his destination, Inuyasha hesitated and bit his lip.  _Do I really want to see this?  I haven't been here since…  _Fighting back his doubt, he burst out into a small clearing to face the ancient Shinboku tree.  Walking forward, he pushed back the vines that covered the tree trunk and gently felt the shallow depression his body had made there by being held so long.  For a long time Inuyasha stared upon the ancient tree, waves of longing and regret washing over him.  _If only I had been able to trust her…if only Naraku hadn't…_  Shaking his head, the demon pushed back the thoughts and headed back to where the others were.  There was no going back now.  There was no second chance…

The sun was just beginning to brighten the eastern horizon, sending fingers of pale golden light prying through the still-dark sky.  Inuyasha bounding into camp, hoping no one had noticed his absence.  Relieved to see that everyone was asleep, he headed back to his tree limb.  As he passed close to the embers of their fire, Inuyasha paused.  The sleeping bag that was always here was gone.  So was the bright yellow backpack that always decorated the leaves.  Inuyasha growled softly in annoyance and turned back to the direction he had just come from, going off the right a bit.  _Kagome better have a really good explanation this time.  She can't just wander off by herself all the time!_

Skidding to a halt where Kagome's scent track had stopped, Inuyasha found that he was right in front of the Bone-Eater's Well.  No doubt she had gone back to her realm again.  Well, he would fetch her back!  Inuyasha jumped into the dark well shaft.  As he fell through the dark void of time, Inuyasha braced himself for the hard landing.  To his surprise, he touched down on damp bed of fresh leaves, still wet with dew.  Looking around, he discovered that there were no wooden walls surrounding him, nor was he in the Higurashi shrine.  Puzzled, Inuyasha spun in a full circle, trying to get a bearing on his surroundings.  What he saw just baffled him even more.  He was in the same forest, and everything was exactly the same except that the old dry well was gone.  Crouching down to try and figure things out, Inuyasha found Kagome's familiar scent leading off toward Kaede's village.  Well, he would follow it and see if she had any answers.

Kagome's smell became stronger and stronger, and Inuyasha knew he was getting close.  But there was something not quite right about this thing, and not just the change in his surroundings, either.  Something more subtle, something that tugged at the edges of his awareness, a something long forgotten and half remembered.

"Inuyasha.  Are you there?"

Kagome's voice called to him from somewhere under the hill where Inuyasha stood.  He relaxed, as he always did around her, basking in the warmth that her presence inflicted in him.  _Her voice…  _Inuyasha stiffened.  This wasn't Kagome's voice!  And yet it sounded so similar, so familiar.  Perplexed, the hanyou sniffed in deep draughts of the air, drawing in Kagome's scent, hoping it would cancel out his doubt.  But again suspicions nagged at him.  This wasn't Kagome's soft fragrance of spring rain and rose petals.  This scent had a different, sadder tone to it; it wasn't Kagome's vibrant, lively spirit.

"Inuyasha?"  The voice that was Kagome's and yet not Kagome's was closer this time, right behind him.

Inuyasha turned, not knowing what he expected to find.  What he did see made him fall over backwards in shock.  The poignantly gray eyes, the expression on the face before him.

"K-kikyo?"

Kikyo opened her mouth to speak again, but the confusion and the memories welling up in him were too much for Inuyasha.  He bounded away blindly, not knowing what direction he wished to go in.  Crashing through the forest, he tried to sort through his feelings.  The way he felt around her…and then the bitterness of her betrayal by Naraku's cruel manipulations.  _Wait…Naraku!  What if this is just another of his cursed mind games?  _Inuyasha slowly stopped, some far corner of his mind noting dully that he was where the well should have been.  _If this really is Naraku, then there's only one way to find out._

Inuyasha rose into the air, scanning the thick forest beneath him for any flashes of the red miko clothes Kikyo always wore.  Whiffing the billows of warm air that rose up from the ground, Inuyasha targeted Kikyo's scent.  Landing softly just beyond her line of sight into the thick crown of an old tree, the half-demon peered into a empty clearing where long grasses waved back and forth, whispering mysterious messages to each other.  Kikyo sat by herself in the center, staring at the blue sky as if searching for something important in its azure depths.  Sitting like that with her arms hugging her knees, bow and arrows laying a few yards from her hands, the powerful priestess suddenly looked vulnerable and very alone.  Craning his neck to see from his roost in the tree, Inuyasha was unexpectedly overwhelmed with a strange feeling.  He'd never felt like this around anyone except Kagome…he wanted to protect her.

Heart thudding, Inuyasha pressed himself against the rough bark of the tree trunk.  Being this near Kikyo brought out feelings he'd forgotten long ago, and all he wanted at that moment was to be close to her.  But he had a mission to accomplish.  Steeling himself, half-hoping he was wrong and yet wishing that his guess was right, Inuyasha carefully sifted through the scents that flew through the air toward him.  The spicy smell of rain-washed trees, the warm aroma of sun-baked grass, the clean tang of water all washed through him…and _her_ scent.  This wasn't the Kikyo he knew from the future; this was the one he had met fifty years ago…now.  No stench of grave soil and ashes permeated her soft fragrance, of flowers blooming under a gray sky.

It was her, and if he had guessed right, this was three days before the tragedy that had befallen them.  But now he knew about Onigumo and Naraku.  Now he could change the past.  Now he had a second chance…Inuyasha closed his eyes and reveled in thoughts of staying with Kikyo…as a human…

Inuyasha's eyes flew open, wide with shock, and his face paled.  If Naraku never tricked him, if Kikyo never shot him, if she never died, if her soul never left her body, there would be no Kagome.  Not now, not in fifty years, not ever.


	2. Onigumo

Second Chance 

By Sango-chan

Chapter 2

Onigumo

Inuyasha shakily leaned against the tree for support, hoping he wouldn't fall out and expose himself.  No Kagome!  That could never happen!  But Kikyo…  Inuyasha felt weak and sick at heart.

"Inuyasha.  You're there, aren't you?"  

Kikyo's gentle, familiar voice jarred Inuyasha from his thoughts, and he fell to the side a little ways, desperately regaining his balance as leaves rustled around him in response to Kikyo's question.

"Why won't you come down?"

The hanyou hesitated for a split second, and then the longing to be near Kikyo, the real Kikyo, not Urasue's sham plaything of earth, bones, and hatred that he had destroyed, pushed him out of the tree to land a few feet to the side of the miko.  He didn't say anything, just breathed in deep draughts of her uniquely beautiful scent.  Yes, this was her…Kikyo.

Kikyo was also silent for a moment longer, then she looked at Inuyasha with kind eyes.  "We've never stood so close together, have we…?"

Without any time to gather his thoughts for a response, Inuyasha snorted brusquely.  "What of it?"

She let the comment pass as she once again looked to the sky.  Kikyo drew her knees closer to her body and spoke quietly, so softly that Inuyasha didn't make out the words.  She didn't once turn to look at him, giving the half-demon an eerie feeling that she was talking to some ethereal person…or _thing_…, something far more powerful than either of them.

Kikyo sighed and tilted her face towards him, and this time Inuyasha's sensitive nose picked up a difference in her fragrance…a slight dampness, a sadness.  The miko asked quietly, "Inuyasha…what do I look like to you?  Do I look human?"

Inuyasha stopped breathing.  He'd had this conversation before, and he knew what it would lead up to the following day.  How could he ever forget?  He wanted to shout out to her, _NO!  Don't ask me to become human…I don't want you to die! _but his throat wouldn't work.

Continuing on, Kikyo said, "I can't show a weakness...not a moment's hesitation…to anyone.  If I did…the demons would take me.  I am human.  But I must not **_be _**human."  It was the saddest thing Inuyasha had ever heard, and each word tore at his heart.  But the priestess' voice carried no regret, no bitterness, not even a hint of sadness.  She simply stated the facts for him to hear.

She paused again, then smiled a little sadly at Inuyasha.  "You and I are the same…you, too, fight your humanity.  That…is why I haven't been able to kill you…"  

Inuyasha understood, now, what she was talking about.  In this time of fifty years ago, Kikyo had spoken it to him and in the future Kagome had showed it to him.  How was he to choose between the two?  The very idea of leaving Kikyo to her fate made him feel like throwing up, for he, too, had felt his heart torn out by Kikyo's apparent betrayal.  And he knew she had felt the same…no, even worse.  At least he could hide his emotions in the part of him that was demon, but she was human.  She was utterly vulnerable.  How could he do that to her?  But there was Kagome…with Kikyo, Inuyasha was at peace with himself and the universe because of her understanding.  Kagome, though…she made him feel whole, complete, as if she were an extension of himself.  When she was around him, he felt lighthearted and happy, very different from the serenity that came with Kikyo's presence.  Inuyasha's mind whirled around in endless circles, looking for a way out.  But he knew his lines, knew what he must say.

Inuyasha stood up.  "Feh.  What do I…I care…for your whining?  I'm not…like…you…" His voice cracked upon the hateful words.  Had he truly been so cruel to her, she who cared for him as no one else had since the death of his parents?  His mouth spoke those syllables, but his mind begged her not to listen to them, not to believe what he was telling her.

Turning as if to leave, Inuyasha hesitated for a moment, for he knew what would happen now.  He didn't want to look, didn't want to see, and yet he _had_ to see.  

"No…I suppose you're not."  She half-smiled at him.  Kikyo's expression was so lonely, and yet so brave…that longing in her eyes…Inuyasha broke from her gaze and leapt off into the forest, but it was too late.  The deed had been done.  Her face…Inuyasha couldn't stop thinking about her, replaying the scene a million times over in his mind's eye.  The way her gray eyes turned to look at him, the gentle movement of her lips, the breeze playfully blowing upon her obsidian hair.  In that moment, Inuyasha felt his heart swell to almost exploding in his body, no room in it for anything but Kikyo.  No, wait!  Another image formed in his mind, someone so similar and yet so different.  The gentle laughter, sparkling, mischievous blue-gray eyes, the tendrils of midnight-black hair tickling her face…Kagome.  How could he lose her?  Kikyo had to die…no, she couldn't!  If she died, his soul would die with her.  Why, oh why, had her arrow not killed him, not let his spirit join hers?…but then he would never have known Kagome  Why did he have to choose? 

Inuyasha's blind rush had left him hovering over the village.  He could see rice paddies ready to harvest, small huts, a tiny cave overgrown with weeds, children scampering over hillocks and underneath bridges playing hide and seek.  That cave…!  Could it be…Onigumo's shelter?  He had to know.

Landing behind a clump of bushes, Inuyasha cautiously moved towards the dark entrance of the small cave.  It was pitch-black inside, and the hanyou couldn't see a thing.  Closing his eyes, the dog-demon relied on his sense of smell to see inside the cave.  A dank odor of stale air, the soft sounds of breath being drawn, a faint stink of dried blood, the pungent tang of healing herbs.  Yes, there was someone in here, someone very badly wounded…Onigumo, that evil human who willingly merged with demons to become Naraku.  Inuyasha growled softly, wanting to leap in there and show the bandit the ends of his claws.  But he couldn't do that…however evil the man was, he was still a man, wounded and unable to move.  Defenseless.  Inuyasha turned to leave.

"You're Inuyasha, aren't you?"  The cracked voice that emerged from the cave stopped Inuyasha dead in his tracks.

"One of those demons who want the jewel, ne?  To bad that priestess…that Kikyo…guards it.  And now she's purifying it, so none of you can ever use it again."  A dry, mirthless chuckle emanated from the still form on the floor of the cave.  "The idea of her…tainted by evil…ah, what a sweet vision!"

"Rggggggghhhh…**_you_**…"  Inuyasha clenched his fists and took a few steps toward Onigumo.

"Oh, go on.  Attack me, half-breed.  After all, I can't do anything to stop you.  Go ahead and attack me, a poor, weak, defenseless mortal!"

Inuyasha cursed and turned away from Onigumo.  He wouldn't give in to the evil bandit's goading.

"Couldn't kill me, could you?  You…that'll be your undoing someday.  You gotta be ruthless to steal that jewel, and you can't do that.  Can't even kill that priestess.  Mark my words, you will never posses the Shikon no Tama.  I will have it…and I will have Kikyo!  Heh heh heh…"  The pure evil of Onigumo's laughter sent chills of foreboding through Inuyasha's body.  Suddenly he couldn't breathe, not in that dark interior permeated with evil.  He turned and half-ran, half-crawled out of the cave.

"They'll both be mine…mine!"  Inuyasha could still hear that evil sound as he left, and his body shook uncontrollably as he flew over the village again.  _How could he know?  Is he right now plotting to defile Kikyo and the jewel?_

Dropping down to land by Kaede's hut, he looked around for Kikyo.  Did she know about Onigumo's rantings?  If she didn't…should he warn her?  Sniffing the air as he stepped into the hut, Inuyasha could tell that no one had been inside for at least three hours.  He left it and searched the small farming village with great flying bounds, propelling himself up fifty feet in the air and then landing four-footed again like a dog.  At last he discovered her not in the village but in the shady fringe of the woods gathering plants.  Sitting down in a sunny patch, Kikyo called Kaede to her.  Obediently leaving her play and running to her big sister, the young miko-in-training eagerly listened to the talk of healing herbs that was part of her education.  Inuyasha crept a little closer to watch, keeping himself hidden far away so that even his acute hearing could barely make out the words.  His body relaxed, but his mind ran and ran with passing thoughts and memories…

FLASHBACK

For a few days now Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Shippo, and Sango had been following rumors of a powerful demon who had been stealing Shikon shards from lesser youkai and then draining them of their spirit-energy, leaving their empty bodies to die.  Several times they had come upon the crumpled remains of the victims, but always days behind the mysterious killer.  

Inuyasha growled in irritation.  Kicking at the carcass of a snake demon, he growled, "Curse this creature.  Why can't it even leave a clear trail?"  Sweeping his clawed hands around the landscape he continued, "Look at this.  It looks like a massacre.  And the second one in a day, too, judging by their smell!  But for a week before that, not a single one died!  It makes no sense!" 

The others were silent.  The predator's indefinable pattern of killing puzzled them, too.   Inuyasha sighed and walked impatiently on.  Well, there were no other Shikon shard at close hand, so they might as well finish off this demon first.

At night everyone agreed to stop at a small village nearby to rest for the night.  They were all tired, and so they didn't look around; just thanked the headman for letting them stay and bedded down.

Late at night Inuyasha woke up with a twitch of his ears.  Getting up, he softly walked to the door and looked outside.  _I thought I heard something moving…there!  _Shuffling along, dragging itself to the creek, was an injured bird demon of some kind.  Out of pure curiosity, Inuyasha walked to it and picked it up.  He checked for any wounds or bruises, but the demon seemed to be whole and unharmed.  Then he examined its face.  The eyes of this youkai weren't bright and vicious, but glazed over.  Inuyasha knew it wasn't sick, but what was happening?  Under his fingers, the heartbeat was strong and even and breath came in without any rattling or hesitation.  And yet the demon grew limper and limper in his hands, as if someone were sucking its life out with a straw…

Inuyasha dropped it hurriedly, knowing there was no chance at all it could survive.  What could one do to heal the empty gap that the demon's spirit had once filled?  Grabbing the Tetsusaiga from its scabbard, Inuyasha called out over his shoulder at his sleeping friends.  A second later, they emerged armed and ready for battle.  Striding over to the dog-demon, Sango picked the now-dead bird youkai and nodded once at Inuyasha to signal that she understood.  Miroku, peering past the creek, pointed to a trail of the dead that lead off into the forest.  Running, they followed it in.  Just past the trees, they could make out a lone figure that drew the demons' spirits to it.  Inuyasha, filled with the rush of battle, cleared the trees first.  Then he stopped dead in his tracks.  It was Kikyo!  There was no mistaking the familiar priestess' face or dress.  It was her yet again…

She had to be stopped, or any second she could turn and target humans…like she had done before.  Inuyasha knew this with a cold, hard certainty, and yet his body wouldn't – couldn't – move.  His friends rushed past him, knowing the inner struggle, and faced Kikyo.  The miko raised a shield around herself, stopping them from reaching her.  Kagome, however, using her own growing powers, notched an arrow to her bow and shot at the magical barrier.  A small hole formed there.  She shot again and again, widening the opening until it was almost big enough to enter through.  Kikyo stared at her own reincarnation with a venomous glare and dropped her shield.  Before anyone could react, she came within a few yards of Kagome and pointed a finger.  Twin bolts of the miko's magic shot straight at Kagome, who desperately shielded herself with her arms.  Inuyasha knew it was pointless – she could never survive such a blast.  

Without even knowing that he was standing up, Inuyasha's legs were running toward Kagome at a speed that he had never known he could reach.  Then he was lifting Kagome in his arms and into the air as the ground behind them erupted into a raging fireball.  He turned to look at Kikyo—and saw himself staring at the four deep gashes on her chest.  Numbed, he stared in horror.  Had he done that?  It wasn't possible!  And yet…he remembered reaching for Kagome with both hands extended, and how close Kikyo had been standing to her.  Sick at heart, Inuyasha watched as the woman he had once loved – and still loved – staggered and crumpled to the ground.  Her body slowly turned back to the earthen figure that Urasue had created and what remained of her soul began to leave.  Kikyo's face was the last to crumble, and the expressions on it would stay fresh in Inuyasha's memory forever.  Shock, then a bitter, losing look of betrayal, and then last and never-ending a look of pure hatred.  It was directed right at Inuyasha and he felt as if someone had driven a sword through his heart.  Kikyo's sham body became dust, but the hatred unspent lingered in the air.

/FLASHBACK

_Kikyo died that day Naraku tricked us, hating me.  I killed her…and she died with her soul still vengeful and filled with hatred for me.  It doesn't seem to affect Kagome, having Kikyo's thirst for my life in her soul, but still…How could I live with myself if I forced her to hate me again?_


	3. Promise

(A/N:  Hello, and thanx to all my lovely reviewers.  *bonks people who read but didn't review on head*  I thought this was a really good fic!  *sniffles*  Well, enough of the self-pity.  I just wanted to tell all of you go-for-Kagome peeps that my favorite ending to this fic is actually…*tension*…well, why should I tell you? ^~  ANYways, italics aren't showing up, so…these little asterisks** will mean italics from now on.)

(PS: Does anyone know how to do REAL italics?  I mean, I've seen 'em in other fics…)

DISCLAIMER:  Unfortunately, she who is known as the blue cat/Sango-chan does not own Inuyasha.  However…spiritually, Inuyasha, Duo Maxwell, and Seto Kaiba belong to me!!! ^^

Second Chance

By Sango-chan

Chapter 3

Lost in his thoughts, Inuyasha walked right into someone.  Looking around, he saw a small girl-child in front of him.  She smiled, unperturbed by the hanyou, and offered him a slightly wilted flower from the bunch proudly displayed in her arms.  "Here, this is for you!"

Mutely taking the flower, Inuyasha finally recognized who the girl was.  *_Kaede!  Does she know?  Can she tell?_*  But looking upon the innocent happiness that shone in Kaede's face, Inuyasha dismissed his foolish thoughts.  "Thanks," he mumbled almost incoherently, and started to walk away.  He was stopped again by Kaede, and this time her gaze was steady and serious.

"Kikyo is lonely," she told Inuyasha, keeping her brown eyes locked with his golden ones.  "She's always sad.  Can you help her?  I know you're a good demon!"  Tears dropped down her cheeks.  "Please!"  The child's eyes seemed to grow years older, shining the weary wisdom of one who knows only too well what the world has to offer.  And yet…there was hope there.  Not knowing what to say, Inuyasha broke away from those heart-breaking eyes.  

"I…I…"

He knew exactly what could help Kikyo, knew how to make her smile again, knew how to lift that burden from her shoulders.  But at what cost?  Was it worth it to leave Kagome behind…

Growling, Inuyasha shook his head.  What was he talking about now?  Kagome didn't even exist yet!  Besides, all she did was 'sit' him and make fun of him!  She was nothing to him…except that she was everything.  Maybe he should take a hint from Sesshomaru – there was something to be said about not giving your heart to anyone – then it couldn't be broken.

"AAAUGH!!! What's wrong with me?!" Slapping himself on the head, Inuyasha cursed silently about thinking about taking his half-brother's advice.  *_That bastard…*_  He growled again and stomped off as frightened villagers hurried to make a path for the angry hanyou.

*****

It wasn't a comfortable night for Inuyasha, curled up in the crotch of a high tree, as he mumbled and twitched, half-formed dreams and memories tumbling through his troubled mind…

*****

_*"Inuyasha!  Come back here right now!"_

_But the young demon ignored his mother's cries and scampered toward the village by himself, pointy white ears pricked forward in anticipation and golden eyes shining with delight.  Running as fast as he could go, the five-year-old tumbled a few times, a crimson ball rolling downhill, but picked himself up each time and hurried on even faster.  He couldn't believe his luck!  Finally, his mother was letting him out of the stuffy castle that he'd always been confined to.  What an adventure!  The little hanyou frowned, his happiness momentarily dampened by the fact that his father couldn't come.  The demon lord had been sick for a period of time, and then, even after he slept peacefully without coughs and groans, the demon servants hadn't let him out of bed!  Instead, his father had been shut into a small cave that was soon covered with a mound of rocks and dirt.  Probably some kind of weird cure.  Not letting himself be puzzled by the strangeness of court physicians, Inuyasha once again resumed his mad scamper toward the new world ahead._

_Once he had reached the village, Inuyasha stopped, his golden eyes growing rounder and rounder.  There was so much to see here!  Woman laughed and talked, men stooped over young plants in the fields, and children ran around playing. Children!  Other children to play with!  At home, there was no one, for the children of his father's servants told him that he was too weak to join in their games, and the teenage Sesshomaru was always coldly aloof and scathingly ridiculing – even mean.  But not here!  As the other kids stopped and turned toward him, Inuyasha bounded forward excitedly.  How come they didn't have any horns and why were their eyes so…weird?_

_The others crowded around him in earnest curiosity._

_"Hey, how come you don't have any proper ears?"  _

_"And why's your hair so white?"_

_Before Inuyasha could give an answer, someone stepped in front of him, blocking his view.  He looked up into the face of an angry villager._

_"Get out of here!" the man snarled, his face twisted in a mixture of fear and rage.  "Don't you contaminate our children, half-breed!  Get out and take your dirty mother with you!"_

_Inuyasha stood there, stunned into silence, as behind the man women herded their offspring away.  The children he had been talking so happily to a few minutes ago stole curious glances at him as they were lead away, their eyes now tinged slightly with a newfound fear.  The small child was suddenly conscious of how everyone stared at him; spinning around, he snarled and their looks of loathing were replaced with terror as they hurried back to their tasks.  Burying his face into his red-clothed arms, Inuyasha curled up into a tight ball, sobbing.  His bright and beautiful day had turned grim and ugly.*_

_*****_

_*Mother walked in front of him bearing the small basket she would sell at the market, the produce from their small summer garden.  They would use the money to buy their usual meager supply of winter's dried meat.  8-year-old Inuyasha walked behind as always, trying to protect her.  But there was no way he could close her ears to the taunts of the villagers…_

_"Demon child!"_

_"Get away from us!"_

_"Prostitute!"  _

_Inuyasha swiveled as he heard the slur on his mother and bared his sharp, doglike fangs.  The man who had spoken met his glance for a second, his terrified gaze resting upon Inuyasha's claws and ears.  Then he spun around, staring intently at the ground he was supposed to be hoeing.  It would have almost been funny, almost._

_"Look at those teeth!  It's not natural!"_

_"Of course it's not natural!  What do you expect from the hell-born scum of some blood-flecked demon and that soulless woman?"_

_"Death to both of them, I say."*_

_*****_

_*He had taken grief many times, borne the weight of it, heavy as a river stone, in his heart.  Why should this be any different?  He had trained for years to keep the tears at bay when they threatened to flow, putting on a tough front to protect Mother, confining the moments of self-pity to his small straw sleeping pallet.  _

_Mother…_

_Inuyasha's head dropped to his chest as the tears he had fought to keep back dripped down, changing his cherry-red kimono to the dark crimson hue of fresh blood as they fell.  Clenching his dirt-encrusted hands in anger, he knew that he wanted nothing more than to tear them apart.  Sighing, Inuyasha relaxed.  Mother would…had…never allowed it, no matter how frustrated he became._

_"But Mother, this time…"  Inuyasha saw red as he remembered how not one of the villagers had arrived to help, refusing Mother even to rest in the graveyard.  He had dug a grave by himself with his bare hands, shoveless, and laid her there as gently as he knew how.  Those same who had rebuffed his pleas for her came to watch him dig, thinking themselves hidden, watching in fearful awe and whispering excitedly to themselves as if it were a sports event.  Then, Inuyasha had let his anger cool down to a sort of hot white glow, holding himself back until they least expected it.  After placing a few stones as a sort of marker, he leapt off on some nonexistent task._

_As expected, everyone sprung up as soon as they thought him gone.  Yammering amongst themselves and inspecting, they examined the pitiful grave as if it were an ox on sale.  Some of the older boys began to throw rocks, leaving little dents in the loosely packed soil.  Laughing as if they had won a prize, the adults cheered their children on._

_Inuyasha arrived among them in an angry blur of red and white.  Moving so fast no one saw it, he picked up one of the stone-throwers up easily, holding him by the neck.  Applying a little pressure, he received a satisfactory gurgle from the boy he held._

_"GET OUT OF HERE!"_

_Scattering like hens before a fox, the little gravesite was soon empty of villagers, but for a man who lingered still, fearful but determined._

_"Whaddaya want?!"_

_Quaking at the anger in the half-demon's voice, the man stuttered out, "P-p-please, sir, that's m-my only child.  M-my-my wife, s-she is dead, he's t-the only one left!"_

_Still holding the boy, Inuyasha stepped forward, his adolescent body still shorter than the man's but already far more powerful._

_"And what about your wife?" he asked in a low voice.  "Did you laugh at her grave too?  Or maybe you just threw rocks at it…?"_

_"I-I never threw rocks at your grave!  M-my bo-boy wouldn't, either!"_

_"LIAR!  GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I RIP YOU APART!"_

_The man scrambled away helplessly, still casting hopeful glances at his son, but fleeing as fast as possible.  Once again the boy in his grip tried to speak, gurgling unhappily.  Inuyasha's wild amber-gold eyes met his timid gray ones, and his mind gave a shock of recognization.  This…was one of the children he had spoken with on his first day in the village!  Henoji…dropping the boy, Inuyasha turned and was gone.  Rubbing his throat, Henoji ran off.*_

_*****_

"Mother!"  

Inuyasha woke up with his hand on Tetsusaiga, drops of cold sweat pouring down his face.  The dreams…so vivid, as if he were living the nightmare a second time.  Despite his tenseness, exhaustion drew him back into sleep.

*****

*_Inuyasha was picking up firewood when he sensed someone in the garden.  He sniffed the air, and then immediately dropped the wood and ducked behind some trees.  Demon.  They came frequently, always ready to prey upon a young half-breed living alone and apart.  Usually those who sought him were weak and easily defeated, but Inuyasha had learned not to take chances.  Craning his neck around, he saw the intruder._

_Golden-orange eyes stared back at him, alert and slightly interested.  Above, strands of snow-white hair partially masked a vivid purple crescent moon, then flowed over the broad shoulders, waving past the red-streaked cheeks to stop below the flowered kimono with its ornately decorated armor and sword._

_"Sesshomaru!"  Inuyasha gaped in shock, recognizing his brother from the memory of the aloof adolescent who had always treated him with disdain in their childhood._

_"Yes, it is I…little brother."_

_Inuyasha didn't know what to think.  Sesshomaru had always been coldly distant, walking seemingly unaffected by anything that happened around him, barely aware of his brother's presence.  But maybe, just maybe…he had come to stay, and they could be together as a family.  Little brother…surely it was a sign of affection!  Maybe Sesshomaru really did care, maybe…!_

_Leaping forward to greet his half-brother, 15-year-old Inuyasha's eyes shone with new hope.  He was so happy, the sharp cut on his shoulder caught him completely unawares.  Looking down at the source of the stinging pain, Inuyasha wondered if maybe he had scratched himself in the woods.  Anyways, it didn't matter!  Sesshomaru was here to be with him!  Glancing at his older brother, Inuyasha saw him standing as statuesque as ever, except for the one hand slightly outstretched, a thin trail of blood dangling from his claws…_

_Inuyasha dodged the second blow barely in time, feeling the air beside his left ear whistle with the force and speed of Sesshomaru's attack.  He landed twenty yards away from his full demon brother, his heart tightening and mentally cursing his own hopeful naiveté.  Fool, he was a fool!  Of course Sesshomaru didn't care about him, would never care about him.  Who was he to imagine that someone might actually care?_

_Sesshomaru surveyed him, his eyes still appraising and seemingly bored.  "Well, dear little brother, it seems your speed has hardly improved since we last fought…"_

_"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Inuyasha's voice echoed with the bitterness of Sesshomaru's betrayal, and his heart ached with the lost hope that had sprung up when he had last heard that title._

_'Little brother'…*_

_*****_

The air shivered with demonic power as the two youkai circled each other warily.  One, a sinuous female whose glimmering blue hair marked her inhuman, smirked confidently at her opponent.  

_"I wonder what half-breed flesh tastes like?  Well, I'll soon find out."  Laughing so as to expose her sharp teeth, she gave the other a hungry glance._

_Inuyasha watched her suspiciously.  This was no weakling he fought here, and he would have to be on guard.  He had learned that painful lesson many times over during the past few years, as Sesshomaru's 'visits' became more and more frequent.  Why did he always come back?  It seemed to be some sort of obscene entertainment for his older brother… _

_She lunged for him, and he twisted his body as she passed, grazing his side.  Streaking past him, the demoness left her back unprotected for a split second…a fatal mistake._

_He leapt forward, tearing apart her body with one powerful swipe of his claws.  As her flesh and blood rained down, Inuyasha stared coldly at the crimson hue of his hands and walked away, leaving the carcass behind.  Let the crows feast upon it._

_*****_

_Threading his way through the thick vine-strangled trees, Inuyasha arrived at the planned meeting place.  Looking around, he saw that Kikyo hadn't come yet, so he settled down to wait for her.  Inside, he was happy, light, as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.  This was the answer he had been searching for all these long, lonely years, a way to break the painful cycle of wanton cruelty and indifferent coldness that always resulted from encounters from both humans and demons…except for one.  Kikyo…she was different, so different from the others.  She was the one who had offered him the way out, along with the mysterious powers of the Shikon no Tama that she guarded._

_Inuyasha mused, turning the situation over in his mind.  No, he hadn't accepted this choice simply because of that.  He could simply take the Jewel and make himself a full demon, powerful enough so that no one would ever dream of mocking him again.  What changed his mind was not the Shikon Jewel but the one who held it…_

_Sniffing the damp morning air, still heavy with dew, he scented her warm fragrance approaching.  Standing up, his perked ears informed him that she was coming from his right.  He could just make out the shadowy outline of her form approaching, and he stood up to meet her.  Kikyo's face came into view, her body…and three bolts of magical power and speed zipped toward him._

_Jumping away, the arrows sped past Inuyasha to land harmlessly in the shrubbery.  Shocked, stunned, the hanyou faced Kikyo, who held a new arrow nocked to her taut bowstring and whose face radiated cold hatred and anger._

_"Kikyo?!"_

_Her only answer was to draw the bowstring back further, moving her fingers so that the black ebony bow formed a perfect line with her arm and face – and with Inuyasha's heart.  He watched, as if in slow motion, as one by one her fingers moved off the string and the arrow was thrust forward with deadly force.  "Die, Inuyasha!" she cried out with contempt in her voice as the arrow was loosed and flew straight and steady right toward him.  Inuyasha dodged it automatically, his mind still trying to register her sudden betrayal, and his heart already trying to forget the hatred in her gaze…_

_*****_

Inuyasha awoke, grateful for the faint dawn light that gave him a brief respite from the painful memories that had consumed him during the night.  Standing resolutely, he set off toward the village in search of Kikyo, the answers he had to have forming in his mind.

He found her just beyond the fields, fending off a demon whose beady eyes were locked upon the jewel that rested at her throat.  Kikyo parried his thrusts with quick blows from her bow, and then backed up a few steps to loose an arrow at the youkai, an arrow that glimmered with the same magical powers that Kagome's arrows had always held.  The demon gave a small cry, and then its body dissipated, forming a cloud of soft white vapors that slowly faded until they melded with the morning mists.

Inuyasha was astonished.  He saw, now, thanks to the annoying preaching of Miroku, that Kikyo hadn't killed the demon.  Its soul had been purified and had gone on to that mystical world of the afterlife.  He also saw, however, the pale hue of Kikyo's face, and the way her body's muscles hung limp, drained of energy.  Naraku/Onigumo's words from the future had been truly spoken.  Kikyo's mystical powers were quickly dying…she couldn't last long in the onslaught of demons that would soon come seeking the Shikon no Tama.  More than ever, he had to know.

Dropping down in front of her abruptly, Inuyasha faced her.  Kikyo didn't seemed surprised, and he knew that she had sensed him long before.  She sat a few feet away from him, as if she already knew what he sought.

"Do you think I'm a human?"

Kikyo didn't hesitate before giving him her answer.  "You ***_are*_**!  Half human, at least."  Pausing to think of an explanation, she continued, "If the jewel falls into the hands of demons, its demonic powers must only grow.  It shall never be destroyed!  However…" She glanced at Inuyasha.  "If it is used to make you human…than the jewel shall be purified…and shall most likely vanish into air."

Sensing that she was hiding something, Inuyasha prompted, "Kikyo, what will happen to you?"

Looking down with a mixture of emotions – fear, sadness, excitement – she said softly, "I am she who guards the jewel…if there is no jewel…I shall become but a woman."

He was shocked, but Kikyo's words brought back the faint echo of another memory, of a conversation like this one…identical to this one, as a matter of fact.  Inuyasha's fists clenched in helpless anger and frustration as he gritted his teeth.  Even knowing what would come, he was still powerless to stop it, powerless to cut short the flow of events that would inevitably lead to both their deaths!  Everything was going the exact same way as before…Naraku!  How could he know this and still let him live to destroy Kikyo, the woman whom he, however unknowingly, had given his heart to…?

"Kikyo…" the sadness in his own voice surprised him.

Speaking her thoughts aloud, Kikyo looked to the ground.  "To be but a human…how would that feel?" She gazed at her own hands.  "I must lose this power that I am so accustomed to…I would be like all those around me.  What then?"  She turned toward Inuyasha, her eyes begging him to hear her out.  "This power holds me prisoner in its grip…I feel as if it controls my very being.  I am caught, my soul unable to escape its boundaries.  But…shall I be not who I am when it is gone?  Perhaps it is not it that holds me but I who hold it…"

Unable to stand her pain any longer, Inuyasha stood up and said, "Kikyo…you don't have to be alone anymore!  If you shed the Jewel's power over you…I can be there to help you."

Kikyo looked at him, her face radiantly beautiful with happiness.  "But to be rid of the jewel, you shall lose your strength."

"I don't care!  We could do it, together.  You're not alone now." Inuyasha repeated to her.  Kagome had taught him that…

Rising, as if unable to believe but still wishing to, Kikyo looked him right in the face, right in the heart.  "If you wish to be human, Inuyasha, use the Shikon Jewel.  Become a man!  Tomorrow at dawn to this place, I will bring the Shikon no Tama."

"I promise."  With that, he was gone, and he could feel Kikyo's eyes locked on him as he sped away.

(A/N: The kitty made a decision!  Kikyo or Kagome…you decide!  Heehee…I'll probably finish this in two or three chapters, and all votes will be counted in two months!  VOTE!!!  KIKYO OR KAGOME?)

Sayonara for now,

the blue cat =3


	4. Choices

A/N: Heeeeeeeeey, thankie to everyone who voted!  ^^ 40 reviews, wow!  …And even though I haven't been updating…*guilty grin*  Ok, so far the votes are:  Kagome, 21 and Kikyo, 11.  (I'm not counting repeated votes.)  Well, the majority does lean toward Kagome/Inu, but…I really like the idea of a Kikyo fic.  *ducks behind rock*  Oi, don't kill me yet!  Listen!  Erk…I mean read.

Okie.  Now, as This Year's Girl mentioned in her review, this is Inuyasha's second chance with Kikyo.  The first time, they were tricked by Naraku, by the most dangerous enemy possible: one they never even knew existed.  Is it any question, then, why both Inuyasha and Kikyo felt betrayed?  Note the word both.  If you diss Kikyo for not believing in their love, you are simply insulting precious Inu-chan, too.  *Growls*  Also, don't forget that the Kikyo we have now is a soulless puppet, so don't expect her REAL personality to completely resurface here.  If you read/watch those flashbacks, Kikyo was willing to give up all her power and her high position in order to rid the world of the Shikon no Tama's evil influence.  For those reviewers who condemmed her as a possessive slut-hey, I didn't exactly see Kagome going, "Here, Kikyo, you can have Inuyasha since Naraku tricked you two and you saw him first."  Kikyo didn't just accept Inuyasha as human and make him change to that, either, as mmandy pointed out.  Kikyo fell in love with Inuyasha as a half-demon, and I believe she would continue to love him in any form.  She wasn't forcing him to become human, just providing him with an option that would solve all of their problems at once.  And they had huge problems: If Kikyo continued her relationship with Inuyasha as they were then, her miko powers would have grown weaker and weaker until finally a demon managed to capture the Shikon Jewel and used its power to wreck havoc.  Also, imagine the pain Inuyasha would go through as Kikyo slowly aged and he stayed the same for years.  It's not a pretty thing to watch the one you love grow old and die while you stay young.  Inuyasha using the Shikon no Tama to become human was simply the best way to solve everything, and Kikyo must have trusted him completely to let him do it, because once he had it, who was to stop him from wishing to become full demon?  Inuyasha and Kikyo's love was pure and true, but cruelly cut off by Naraku.  I, for one, truly believe they both deserve this second chance.

o.O  Erk…that was a pretty long rant, ne?  *collapses under the weight of the words*  Now I guess I'd better just do the fic already…and one more thing!  ^-^  I  still will be using the voter's decisions, even if I think that Kikyo/Inu is the best.

Disclaimer:  Nothing of Inuyasha belongs to…*stops as she gets déjà vu*  Oi…haven't we been over this before?

Rating: Um…what was my rating again?  I guess it should be PG…what did I give it?  I mean, there's no violence or anything…

Second Chance

By Sango-chan

Chapter Four

Choices

Inuyasha paced restlessly around the trunk of the Shinboku tree.  Once, twice, three times he circled its wide base, hoping that some idea would come to him.  He laughed, self-mockingly.  What was he expecting?  An illumination from the heavens, perhaps, or maybe a flock of angels would descend and guide him on the right path?  No, the choice was his alone, and whatever decision he made, Inuyasha saw pain.

Sighing and giving up his futile pacing, Inuyasha plonked himself up against the rough-barked trunk and peered upwards.  The sun was high up, but it hadn't yet reached the noon hour.  Tomorrow it would be time to make his decision…Kikyo would arrive shortly before he and step right into Naraku's trap…that is, unless he stayed behind and showed her the truth.

But what if he did?  Then what would become of Kagome, the girl he had traveled with so long in search of Shikon fragments?  She would forever cease to be, never given a chance at life.  However…if she was truly Kikyo's reincarnation, then was her own spirit still hidden beneath Kikyo's personality?

There was no way Inuyasha could let Kikyo walk right into a trap that would mortally wound her, but neither was he willing to allow Kagome to be lost to him.

Shaking his head and growling in frustration, Inuyasha glanced hopelessly up at the sky once again.  The sun still sat obstinately in the same position, much as his own thoughts chased around in circles and always ended up at the same point eventually.  He'd been through this process so many times, only to come up with the same solution: He couldn't allow Kikyo to be hurt, nor live without Kagome.

Pounding his clenched fists on the ground, he mentally berated himself.  Ever since I learned of Naraku, I've been wishing that there was some way I could go back and change the way things happened.  _Now, here I am, with that perfect second chance, and I can't do it!  Why…_

Knowing that it was useless to tread the mental pathways again, Inuyasha stood up and walked out of the forest, hoping that a change of scene would help clear his mind a little and give him some inspiration.  His feet seemed to have a mind of his own as he walked towards Kaede's hut, which was now nonexistent, then stopped in front of Onigumo/Naraku's cave.  It was now empty, as he had suspected, and the scent of demon pervaded the air for meters around.  _Now it's so obvious, but why didn't I notice that before?  Then I wouldn't be faced with this choice…_

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks as a stunning revelation came to him.  He didn't have to make a choice.  What if he just left?  Took himself off far, far away and never to be seen again?  What if he just left Kikyo there…?  If she hadn't used up all he strength in that magic arrow last time, surely her wounds could have been treated.  Now that he thought of it, it was a perfect solution.  Leave everything up to chance and just blow out of there.  If Kikyo didn't fight Naraku, she lived.  If she died, Kagome would be born.  There was an equal chance of either happening, and Inuyasha wouldn't have to dirty his hands with any decisions, any doubts, any what ifs and regrets.  A small section of his mind screamed that he was running away from his problems, that this would solve nothing…but the temptation was there, slyly fitting itself through the weaknesses and self-doubts in his will, whispering sweet, comforting words into his ear, dangling the freedom seductively in front of the hanyô's eyes.

Eyes wide and his heart beating fiercely, Inuyasha stared back up, meeting the fierce golden glare of the sun as it continued its slow, inexorable journey downwards to the west.  His previous duty-bound promises to save Kikyo and Kagome flitted weakly about in the whirlwind of his mind, their now shrunken cries almost impossible to hear against the insistent howls of that one, marvelous, horrible idea.

What if… 

A/N:  Yes, it's short, yes, I'm evil, but I squeezed this little chapter out just to please you!  This little spurt was completely spontaneous, and I swear that I never planned it.  Actually, I'm very bad at overall story layouts…anyways, leaves you wondering, doesn't it?  ^^

Oh, one last note:  I love all your reviews that have these great arguments for Kikyo and Kagome, but, well…some constructive criticism would help, too!  I can't improve my writing without you guys' help!


	5. Choosing Your Own Path

A/N: Mmmmm…this is the last chapter before little Inu-chan's decision will be revealed.  I dream of an ending that will please everyone, but…the choices are really get slammed by many or get slammed by…erm…not as many.  Geesh…ppl these days, picky, picky…  Y'know, I really feel like I don't even own this fic anymore…-_-

Second Chance

By Sango

Chapter Five

Choosing Your Own Path

"Damn…" Inuyasha hissed, pounding a limb into soft splinters as he glanced skyward in frustration.  Once again, the sun stayed doggedly in the same position.  The gods seemed to love playing with his mind, and Inuyasha deeply resented being a pawn for a power greater than he.  It was bad enough to have to make this decision, but the fact that the remaining afternoon and night seemed to drag on forever…every time he thought he'd chosen, he'd change his mind once again.

"I need some advice…" he mumbled to himself, giving up his massacre of the plant life.  Inuyasha's mind whizzed over the options: _I don't have any friends in this time…everyone I know is dead or nonexistent…shit, shit, damn, damn…_his thoughts always eventually turned into mindless cursing.

_Wait…_Inuyasha lifted his head up quickly, banging it on a branch.  Maybe there was one person whom he could trust for advice right now…yes…

"Muhona," he whispered to himself, and then winced at the thought.  He'd always hated visiting the ancient soothsayer, no matter for how short a period of time.  He'd only kept up his visits to the lizard demon because he felt he owed it to the one who had protected he and his mother for a short while after Inuyasha's father's death.  After being unpinned from the tree, Inuyasha had traveled once more to Muhona's dwelling, only to find the yôkai dead and the cave abandoned.  He'd felt a sense of loss, mixed with some relief at not having to visit the cantankerous magician again.  But this time he had to hear the old yôkai's advice.

"Chikuso!" the hanyô hissed in annoyance on last time, then left the forest, trudging glumly onwards.

*****

Smoke, mildew, and the pungent odor of dried herbs and god-knows-what met Inuyasha's nose as he cautiously stuck his face inside the dark cave.  He sneezed, as he did every time he entered.

"Inuyasha?"  The quavery, shaky voice of the fortuneteller belied his fierce temper and belligerent personality, forming a false sense of security.

"Yes, Muhona?" the dog demon answered reluctantly.

A giggle from the shadows.  "That's Muna-jiji to you."

Once again Inuyasha wondered if the wizened old man was insane.  "Yeah, yeah."

The yôkai's bamboo cane whipped out and smacked Inuyasha firmly between the ears.  "No impertinence, pup!"

"Itai…" Inuyasha complained, wincing as he rubbed the lump on his head.

Cackling mischievously, the demon rocked back and forth, his frail frame shaking all over.  "There's still life in this old body yet!"  

"Unfortunately for me," his younger companion muttered.

"I heard that," Muhona warned, wagging a scaly green finger in front of the hanyô's nose.  He settled back on his haunches and grabbed a battered clay pot, which issued forth a hissing burst of steam as soon as he touched it.  The yôkai set the pot and two mismatched cups in front of Inuyasha.  "Pour."

Grumbling moodily, Inuyasha filled both cups to the top with the hot tea and handed one to his mentor, who snatched it up immediately and drank the scalding contents in a single gulp, smacking his lips contentedly as he finished.  "Ah…perfect."

Eying the other's untouched drink, Muhona demanded, "Are you going to drink that?"

Dutifully following the usual routine, Inuyasha replied, "No, Muna-jiji."

"What's that?  I'm rather hard of hearing in my old age."

"NO, MUNA-JIJI."

"No need to scream, pup!" The lizard yôkai leisurely lifted Inuyasha's tea to his lips, favoring him with a beady glance.  "As long as you don't want it, I'll have it.  Nothing should ever go to waste—remember that, now."

"Yes, Muna-jiji."

"Hmmmm…what am I forgetting?" The old demon stared at the air for a moment.  Inuyasha bit his lip to keep himself from telling him; Muhona hated having any help remembering.

"Oh, yes.  Something to chew on while we drink."  Waving his free hand in some seemingly random movements, a plate of some dried-up onigiri and a few other unpalatable-looking items appeared between to two.  Muhona grabbed a snack and munched happily, seemingly unaware of the age of his food.  With a full mouth, the old magician glared at Inuyasha.  "What's wrong, boy?  My food not good enough for you?"

"No, I'm just not hungry."

The plate slid across the floor, moving closer to Inuyasha as it did so.  Pointing, the ancient yôkai commanded, "Eat."

Inuyasha halfheartedly took a rice cracker, bit down, and then immediately wished he hadn't.  It was like biting into a stone…every tooth in contact ached.  _He may be one of the most powerful magicians alive, but his cooking sure sucks…_

"What's your problem?"

Surprised by the sudden change of subject, the hanyô met his elder's piercing, direct gaze and then looked down, unable to hold it.  How did he break the question to him?  He busied himself chewing the tasteless bite as he tried to think of an answer.

"Haven't got all day."

"Well…um…it's not about me, you understand."

Muhona snorted disbelievingly, but replied, "Yes, of course not."

"You see…" Inuyasha paused mid-sentence.

Inuyasha's sensitive ears flattened automatically as screeching laughter emitted from the gnarled lizard's mouth.  "As a matter of fact, these old eyes haven't been able to see much for years now."

Clearing his throat uncomfortably, Inuyasha looked away as he continued, "I have a friend, and he has a big problem.  He has these two other…friends…that he knows equally well, and he likes both of them.  But he knows that someone is trying to hurt one of them, and if he saves that friend the other one will be hurt.  So what should he do?"

Eyes mocking, the old magician prodded, "What exactly is his relationship with these "friends"?"

Still looking away, Inuyasha mumbled, "Idonobuhhemywuwem."

The bamboo cane shot up once again, this time inserting itself under Inuyasha's chin and moving his face up so that he was looking into Muhona's eyes.  "Say that again."

He didn't try to move his head again, but Inuyasha's eyes roamed elsewhere as he repeated his earlier statement more clearly.  "I don't know but he might…love them."

"I'd say your…_friend_…sounds an awful lot like a certain demon lord, hm?" Muhona queried, making sure Inuyasha knew that he was no fool.

Red-faced, half from anger and the other half from embarrassment, Inuyasha stared persistently to the side.

A wide, slightly malicious grin split the wrinkled, scaly face as Muhona nudged his young pupil.  "When your father asked me a very similar question, he wanted me to take a glance into the future to see what would happen with each of his possible choices."

Leaning closer eagerly, Inuyasha tried to hurry the story up.  "So…did you do it?"

Purposely drawing his ending out, Muhona ignored the hanyô's question and spoke louder to drown the other's words out.  "Your father was powerful enough to tell someone to jump of a bridge and they would do it.  He was that respected…but he couldn't order me around!  I had wrinkles when he was still a mewling pup.  He was like a son to me, and I loved him."  For the first time, Muhona's gaze lost the wickedly mirthful, crafty expression and softened.  "I would have done anything for him…but I said no."

"But _why_?"

"Do you know how many possible futures there are for any situation?  Even something as simple as whether or not to steal a scrap of food from your own table can have millions of endings.  All a fortuneteller can do is pick the most likely ones and guess on it."

"So why couldn't you do that when my father asked?"

Muhona shook his head slowly.  "Telling someone what could have happened, how they could have lived…that destroys them.  Every time tragedy strikes them…and it strikes in the happiest people or demons…they'll wonder if it could have been avoided by choosing the other option.  Living life in that way is no life at all."

Inuyasha sighed and sat back.  "So you're not going to read the future for me."  _Muhona would never tell me the wrong thing, but still…knowing ahead of time doesn't sound so bad…_

Using his unsettling ability of seemingly reading minds, Muhona turned the dog demon's question back on him, challenging, "Do _you_ want me to?"

_Another choice…_Inuyasha hesitated, contemplating the decision.  _I'd really like to see if Kagome would be reborn later…was the time of Kikyo's death a factor in her birth?  And what if I saved Kikyo but left through the well when it's built?  But…_Muhona's advice had held an unmistakable ring of truth, an undeniable certainty, and at last he whispered, "No."

For the third time that day the bamboo rod smacked Inuyasha smartly on the back, but this time the blow was gentler, more like an affectionate pat.  "Then go, pup.  Choose your own path."

Inuyasha stood to leave, then stared into the beady black eyes one last time.  Did he know that he would die, that his own cessation of living would be soon coming?  Somehow, Inuyasha thought he did.  The hanyô nodded a farewell and headed out the cave, his decision still unknown to him but…there.

Once outside, the hanyô breathed in a deep draught of fresh, clean air and headed back to the Shinboku tree, noting from the light that it was nearly dawn.  A few minutes now to make his choice.  A familiar feeling of panic fluttered in the hanyô's chest, but he quieted it with the old demon's last piece of advice.  

_Choose your own path._

Closing his eyes, Inuyasha reached for the decision that had lain dormant for a long time, but still there down at the bottom of his heart, and pulled it up, let its firm conviction reassure him one last time.  He opened his eyes, determined and resolute at last.  Gathering his body together, Inuyasha sprinted down the path to his own destiny.

A/N:  I just read the reviews.  Now I'm really POed.  P-I-S-S-E-D.  Damn…*GLAAAAAAAAAAAARES at random innocent and not-so-innocent reviewers*


	6. Interlude One

Second Chance

By Sango-chan

Interlude One

PISS OFF THE AUTHOR!  YAY!

NOTE: This interlude is my thoughts, changing over and over again, about the subject of Inuyasha's choice.  There are parts where you may definitely not like the direction I seem to be heading in, but please read on until the end…I believe (hope) my final decision will satisfy everyone.  Also, this interlude includes a spoiler about Inuyasha's choice in the next chapter.  I'll warn you before I give it, so don't scroll down TOO far if you don't want to hear it.  However…in the next chapter, you may feel angry about my decision.  If so, come back and read this.  PS:  Review responses at the VERY bottom!

No, this is not a new chapter…for all of you people with brains…it says INTERLUDE.  I-N-T-E-R-L-U-D-E.  A break.  Yes.  

*Siiiiiigh*  Arigato…I didn't mean to scream at you like that……or at least _some_ of you…ahem…

Anyways, this a little break right before I go into the most important part of this fanfic, the choice all of you have been waiting so patiently for.  Before I reach this crucial point, I wanna talk with you all about some things that have made me happy, encouraged me to keep writing, and majorly pissed me off.

First off: I love your reviews!  Many of you argue eloquently about why Inuyasha should pick Kikyo or Kagome, plead, beg, suggest constructive criticism, and even give me nice pats on the back to reassure me that I still own this fic.  However…there are just as many of you who insult, whine, complain, and generally tear down the personalities of the wonderful characters Rumiko Takahashi has created.  That…does _not_ make this kitty happy.

Each character so carefully created and developed, learning with the rest of us as we watch the anime or read the manga, has his or her own qualities.  I love Kagome's hilarious bouts of temper, happy-go-lucky attitude, and innocence while still enjoying Kikyo's serene tranquility, calm personality, and gentleness.  You're all free to feel as you will about these characters and choose for yourself who you like best, but…_these insults must stop.  _Bitch, slut, whiny brat, pathetic, crybaby, selfish—this makes me sick.  I don't mind when people try to persuade me to pick Kagome or Kikyo, but what's up with the negative comments?  Instead of focusing on why Inuyasha should pick your favorite, all these reviewers focus on why he _shouldn't_ pick the other.  Which is not only an extremely weak argument—pick the bad over the worse—but it's disgusting and ruins my day completely.

You want proof?  You want facts?  Out of the first 110 reviews for this fic, only 68 contain no spiteful, bitter verbal abuse.  The other 42 reviews—I'm not even counting them anymore.  Forget them.  42 out of 110—that's 38%.  No one wants to go see what other people voted for and have to encounter all this ludicrary every four reviews.  It makes me soooooooo grateful to see that some reviewers believe as I do—this crap is disgusting and useless.  A special THANK YOU and an Inu-chan plushie to "lil_xueli@yahoo.com"—my thoughts exactly on the subject! 

Still, I did promise to leave this up to the reader's votes, not dictorship, as some reviewer pointed out.  (Lost your name, sorry!)  But then again, as still others pointed out, this is my fanfic, my work, my ending.  

I don't like to break promises, and I definitely do not want to lose my ownership over this story.  So here's a compromise.

First, the ending to this fic will be…(if you don't want a spoiler, don't scroll down!)

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

=3

…Kikyo.  Don't kill me yet, read first my explanation and then the rest of the compromise.

I know I never hinted this and you probably got the idea that I was totally clueless about how I might end Second Chance myself, but…in actuality, a Inuyasha/Kikyo ending had formed by the end of the first chapter.  I tried to think of a Kagome/Inuyasha when I saw how the votes were stacked, tried to think of a beautiful ending—but no matter what conclusion I formed, the Kikyo/Inuyasha always rang more true, more pure, more…what this fic was meant for.

When I tried out a number of Kagome/Inuyasha endings, they always came out sounding forced and fake to my ears.  No matter how I toiled, the Kikyo/Inuyasha ending had attained a crystal perfection and _rightness_ that my other ones had never, could never, achieve.  My Kagome/Inuyasha endings broke the flow of the story, somehow made it stumble.  And I greatly value quality in a story.

Therefore, I will stick with the Kikyo/Inuyasha ending here.  It melds perfectly with the rest of the fic, connects effortlessly.  It simply has lodged in my mind, perhaps unbeknownst to me for a time, but there and unwilling to let go to make room for the other possible endings that held small imperfections.  I believe, truly, that if I chose to use an alternate ending, this story would lose an essential piece of itself, perhaps the most important piece of all.

I will not tarnish this story, will not break its line.  I stick with the Kikyo/Inuyasha that seems right to me.

However, my promise: the compromise is that while I will NOT have an alternate ending for Second Chance, for again I feel that this retracts from the quality of the story, I will post a Kagome/Inuyasha ending under the name "Second Chance: Alternate Ending, by popular demand".  Please, though, however avid a Kag/Inu fan you may be, try and also read my Kikyo/Inuyasha ending!  I deem that one better, and there's a little part at the end of the very last chappie that I think will satisfy even you…*wink*  Just read and find out!

One last note: Anymore negative, abusive reviews, and I swear the next chapter will take twice as long to come out.  You have been warned…

**REVIEW RESPONSES: **Yes, the author has taken enough time to get off her lazy bum and actually RESPOND to reviews!  XD  These are, um, earliest reviews first, I think…at least the reviews way back there on the last page first!  I'm only answering questions, or stuff I feel strongly about to respond to.  (Translation: stuff you wanna know, things that piss me off or make me wanna give you a hug!)

**_Everyone who voted for Kikyo:_**MWAHAHAHA!!!  LOOK!  I HAVE A HUMAN SHIELD TO PROTECT ME FROM THE SCREAMING KAG/INU FANS!!!  *Gives her human shield Inu-chan plushies*  ^^  I'm a Kikyo/Inuyasha fan, too, so thanks for voting this way!

**_Everyone who voted for Kikyo:_**No, I _don't _hate Kagome, and I'm glad to now your thoughts and ideas…except for those spiteful, DISGUSTING insults that discredit both you and the person you voted for…still, some of you had thought-provoking arguments and interesting suggestions, so…you get Inu-chan plushies too!  ^^

**_kag_chan (kag_chan@yahoo.com):_**^^;  Really…I should pick Kagome cuz Sango is Kagome's best friend?  Now _that's_ one I've never heard before…

**_Aiko-chan:_**Thanks for the info on sugoi!  I knew I had heard it somewhere before, but I did misplace my brain a while back…*mutters*  Anyways, I'm really grateful for you actually taking the time to come back and review that info!  There are way too many authors who use vocabulary that I don't understand in their fics and I beg and beg and beg and never get responses…but that will change!  I will find a way to make all those ppl tell me the WORDS that I don't know!  The world of FANFICTION will become a better place when I CHANGE it for the better by allowing everyone to UNDERSTAND…blahblahblah…*maniacal glint*  

            Ahem…so, I would like to pay YOU back with some juicy Japanese info of my own!  ^^  Maybe you know this and just didn't want to take the time to explain it in your review, but 'sugoi' not only means wonderful/amazing but can also mean horrible or terrifying.  Sugoi simply is "to a great extent"; the extremes of whatever expression, be it fear or wonderment.  

**_Yunaleska: _***Sigh*  *Pops a chill pill in your mouth* Here.  Calm down.  I am explaining this ONCE (yeah right) and only ONCE: Kikyo and Inuyasha were both inexperienced in the matter of "love"; how were they to know what was real and what was false?  This was a matter of life and death, not only of personal pain but of the lives of both her village and possibly the whole world if there was even the smallest possibility that Inuyasha had used the Shikon no Tama for the wrong purposes.  As some beautiful, wonderful person pointed out somewhere, the options were a) let the whole world fall into chaos, b) kill him, and c) put him into an enchanted sleep.  Wow…what would you pick?

**_lynnxlady:_**Hmmm…hey, you've reviewed some on my other fics, right?  ^^  I remember you!  The person-thingy who always writes such long reviews…but so helpful, too!  No, your brainstorming is NEVER annoying, it's actually quite interesting, even if I don't tie it into the actual fic.  Usually bits of ideas like yours get stuck into storage somewhere in the cold, empty depths of my brain and get pulled out for other fics or weird stuff…

**Kikyou:** O.O  Whoa…wonderful argument!  But…*puts on preachy voice*  Two rights don't make a wrong, young reviewer.  Just because others insulted Kikyo doesn't mean you can insult Ka…YEAH RIGHT!  That was wonderful…*sobsob*  Yes, I also get so annoyed with all the Kikyo bashing that I have sporadic little bouts of Kagome bashing privately….  No one heard that, ok? 

            ^^  I'm sorry.  I don't hate Kagome…just gotta get it off my chest sometimes, after hearing all those evil remarks.

**_lobelia: _**Wha wha wha wha wha-_wha_?  So…confused…@_@  What's that about saving Kikyo but not changing his future again?

            As to the other comment…thankies for that!  ^^  I've had quite a few ppl in my fics who complain that I place TOO much emphasis on inner-struggles without enough action (one of my weak points), so it's nice to actually hear the opposite for once!

**_Angelstars: _**Lol, "all about the eyes"  *Grin*  Anyways, yes I did join and now I must invite YOU to join my Seto Shrine!  It's an AU Seto roleplay, where you make yourself a new character who's connected to Seto in any way!    

            About the unconditional love part…Kagome does love Inuyasha that way, but so does Kikyo.  It took seconds for Kikyo to hate Inuyasha?  No, not at all.  Look to the manga volume 8, scroll three: Naraku.  If Kikyo actually hated Inuyasha, then why didn't she want to live?  Kikyo still loved him, but she had to think in the best interests of her village and the whole world.  She put him into an enchanted sleep instead of killing him and went peacefully to her own death, prepared to follow him, even beyond the boundaries of death.

            Unconditional love?  A love that transcends not only time, but whole worlds of life and death?

            How else do you define it?

**_Diane: _**Lol!  No, Kagome doesn't get Hojo in this fic!  Hojo's a major evilness in my picture…you'll see what happens in the last chapter…*wink*

Camellia: Cool…someone who would agree with me!  I, too, believe in the good that lies in both Kagome and Kikyo, though I do defend Kikyo more because she simply needs defense against some close-minded reviewers…*coffcoff* 

**_Kelsey: _**O_O;;;  OH MY KAMI!  *Gasps for water and chokes*  Hojo, the reincarnation of Inuyasha?!  They're complete opposites!  Pushover, aggressive, gentle, brusque, calm, ready to blow his top at any second…you name it, they're opposites.  Well, to each his own…I guess…^^;  At least you're pro-Kikyo!

**_Sorensen: _***Raises eyebrow*  Sure, Kagome lets Inuyasha go after Kikyo…and then she sulks and stomps and heads home like a spoiled, bratty child who's lost a favorite toy.  Kagome's not perfect, and neither is Kikyo.  I can see the good qualities of Kagome: her humor, gentleness, and consideration for others.  But don't make her look like a shining angel.  No one is, and that's the whole point of anime/manga: the characters feel real.

**_=^-~= (lil_xueli@yahoo.com): _***Hugs you to death*  THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!  Your thoughts mirror my own almost perfectly!  Yes, I feel sooooo strongly that way, too!  The whole "Kikyo is a *beep*" situation is outta hand, and I feel exactly like that on the subject of Kikyo's so-called "betrayal" of Inuyasha.  Yet, I also enjoy's Kagome's positive traits and admire her for them.  Everyone, GO READ THIS REVIEW!

            Oi…can you read my mind or something?!  *Hands you a million Kikyo/Inuyasha posters and plushies*

**_Joy-chan:_** Kikyo, cold-hearted and evil?  *Sigh*  Once again, that brings me to the point of: THAT LIVING MUMMY IS NOT KIKYO!  Almost all of her soul is trapped within Kagome: all that moves her is a few traces of bitter hatred/love towards Inuyasha!  Don't confuse that doll with the REAL Kikyo!  Kami!  *Huffs*

**_Lovethefic: _**Wow…I actually introduced someone to the wonders of Kikyo/Inuyasha pairings!  *Sparkle*  Amazing!  But, back to the review response.  …Exactly.  Kikyo?  Never selfish, never putting her needs first when she was REAL back then.

**_kikyou_forever: _***Winks*  Kagome won't exactly be a daughter…something else…*winkwinkwink*

**_Ling: _***Winces*  I_ am_ pro-Kikyo, but this straight-out Kagome bashing is no excuse, either.

**_Angelstars: _**At least I know I have ONE supporter!  ^^

**_Thiemo Günther (thiemo.guenther@t-online.de): _**Actually, I didn't forget the fact that, in most time-traveling fics, Inuyasha would encounter a younger version of himself.  Operating word: _most_.  

            I'm not of the belief that millions of layers of time all exist at once for everyone.  I think that only one of a person exists at one time, in one place.  So sorry if it goes against the way you think of time travel, but…hey, that's me!  

            *Grins*  Thanks for that one compliment.  Even one compliment from someone who has taken the time to fully analyze my fic means a lot to me.

**_Alex First: _**As I said to Thiemo Guenther, I truly, truly appreciate an in-depth analysis of my fic like the one you wrote.  Those kinds of reviews always encourage me to write better!  And…*dances*  ANOTHER PERSON WHO THINKS I HAVE A BRAIN OF MY OWN TO CHOOSE!  YAY!

**_hanamei-chan (too lazy to log in): _**Lmol!  *Cackles*  You'll have to read up above about that double ending, if you haven't already!  And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for supporting my right to decide how my fic ends!

**_kik_all_e_way: _***Big fat sweatdrop*  ^^;  Um…you don't have to convince me about the why's of Kikyo/Inuyasha…I thought I'd said several times that that's the ending I prefer, too!

**_Fallon: _**No, it isn't the last chapter!  I personally hate annoying cliffhangers, and so I never write them myself!  ^^  But I hope you'll read my last chapter…I think it will satisfy most people.

**_KAGOME (NOT***** KIKYO) _ FOREVA: _***Stares*  And you really expect me to set the foundation of my fanfic, the whole _idea_ behind it, on the Inuyasha _anime_?!  Are you insane?!  Anime.  Feh.  Manga is where Inuyasha originated, and manga is what I will stick with, thank you very much.  I hate that about most anime: when they become anime, they lose much of the plot, the complicated, intricate twists and biting humor and wit, the things that make the very _soul _of the manga series.  And that movie…Love Which Transcends Time…don't even mention it to me.  I HATED THAT MOVIE.  If the Inuyasha anime is bad, that…that _thing_…is a million times worse.  One of the focal points of Takahashi-san's art and storyline is she always shows the utmost consideration for each and every one of her characters, be it main character or a passing person lost in the action.  Never, I repeat _never _would she leave Kikyo dying with Inuyasha living his own happy little life elsewhere…and, even worse, leave that thread hanging undone: did Kikyo actually die, or did she manage to survive?  Did Inuyasha do anything?  That complete ignorance, that total loss of caring for what happened at all to Kikyo—**_I hate that sad excuse for a movie.  _**I feel for any of you out there who have never had a chance to read the manga and must survive on the anime, that shadow of the magical realm Takahashi-san produced.

            You believe the definition of a hard-core Inuyasha fan rests on whether or not a person tapes all the anime episodes?  I personally stopped watching after a few weeks, disgusted at how it stripped Inuyasha of its manga purity.  I don't know—_am_ I a hard-core Inuyasha fan?!

            *Siiiiiiiiiigh*  I don't mean to insult you.  I'm just a strict manga purist, and I hate the Inuyasha anime, especially after seeing the movie, with a passion.

****

**_Long Shot: _**Whatever gave you that idea?  I get pissed easily, but not at reviewers just cuz they review!  ^^

Is it just me, or have you noticed an increase in Kikyo voters near the end?

So…next chapter, Inu's decision is reviewed, and the chapter after that is the VERY LAST one of this fanfic, and once again I beseech you Kagome/Inu fans to read it, and Kikyo/Inu fans as well.  There are two parts to that last chapter of my fanfic, and I really believe it will satisfy all.


	7. Truth

A/N: T_T  Nuuu…you know what I was stupid enough to do?  I had the very last chapter written up nicely, and then I went and frikkin DELETED IT!!!  ARRRGGGHHH!  *bangs head on keyboard*  @_  Owies…;_;

Second Chance

By Sango

Chapter Six

Truth

Slender green grasses, still wet with morning dew, nodded their heads graciously as Kikyo made her way through the fields to the agreed on meeting place.  The miko cradled her right hand carefully to her chest, the Shikon no Tama shining gently between clasped fingers.  She was early.  As she waited, the priestess uncurled her fingers and stared at the jewel on her palm.  It twinkled innocently in the weak sunlight.  Who could have guessed, from watching the flickering play of lights across its smooth surface, that that tiny stone could have caused so much bloodshed?

Kikyo shivered suddenly; a cold gust of wind roared across the field, the plants trembling in fear as the icy breeze passed over.  Gripping the jewel tightly to shield it from view again, the miko searched the landscape, trying to ignore the dark premonition that had suddenly swept over her.

The Shikon shall not cause harm to anyone now.  Today is the last day it will be here to wreck havoc in this world.

A slight rustling of cloth came from behind her as grass stems parted to make way for someone.  The miko half-turned in the direction of the sound, but saw nothing beyond the dark curtain of leaves and grass.

_Inuyasha…?_

*****

His breath came ragged and painful as the raw morning air tore at his throat.  Misty clouds rose from his mouth and hung in the air for a few moments before vanishing.  Heedless of all else, Inuyasha plowed his way through forest foliage, leaving a clear trail of overturned stones, broken branches, and crushed plants in his wake.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, _the hanyô berated himself as he plunged forward.  _Why did I wait so long before making a decision?  _The frigid wind stung his eyes as it lashed numbed flesh mercilessly, forcing Inuyasha's eyes into narrowed slits.  _Am I too late now?  _

Decades seemed to pass before the field at last came into view, and the yôkai smiled in relief to see Kikyo's familiar figure standing there.  Just then, a flash of movement caught his eye, a brief flicker of well-known red cloth in the bushes, heading the same way he was.

"N-_NO_!"  Gusts of wind breezed mockingly past, blowing his words behind him with peals of frosty laughter.  Quickening his pace even further, Inuyasha opened his mouth to cry out one last useless warning.  "KIKYO!!"

*****

_Inuyasha?  _She could have sworn his voice had come from her left side, but then what was that movement behind her?  Frowning in puzzlement, the miko cautiously returned, "Inuyasha?"

Pain.  Burning, festering paths of fire slashing across her right shoulder, down her arm, blazing down to ignite her whole body…gods the pain, too much for her to even utter a single sound.  Kikyo felt the Shikon slip from her suddenly limp hand, but could do nothing to prevent it, nor stop her legs from crumpling as she fell, another stab flaming through her arm as it met the ground with a sickening thud.  Blurry, dull red motes danced at the periphery of her vision, threatening to envelop her completely.

The…jewel… 

Kikyo watched with a kind of detached fascination as an arm that couldn't possibly be her own—how could it be, when she couldn't even feel hers?—inched slowly across the trampled grass and shakily brushed the bright jewel.  The fingers trembled, then began to close over the gem.

"Hmph."  A foot thudded to the ground, abruptly stopping the sluggish movements of the hand with a cruel grinding flick.  New flames licked hungrily over the paths of their predecessors; the arm was suddenly brought back to life with a fresh wave of hurt.  

"Fool!  I never had any intention of becoming human!"  A callous, mocking voice rang through the silent clearing, a voice all too familiar to her…  

No…no…please… 

Clawed fingers reached down, flicking Kikyo's hand away impatiently as they grasped the Shikon Jewel and lifted it up.

"Thanks for the jewel!"

Kikyo lifted her head off the ground slightly, her eyes widening in stunned disbelief as the traveled slowly over the well-known silvery hair, gleaming golden eyes, and cold, mocking smile of the figure before her. 

No… 

Had she though she'd known pain?  A true fool, to imagine that anything like that flesh wound could be measured at all, compared to this, this wrenching, smoldering sensation that burned to her very core, igniting her heart and reducing it a bitter, throbbing wreck.  Too excruciating, too immense to be described in words…

"Feh…this rock…it's thirsty for more hateful blood!"  There was an ominous pause, and then the voice held a hint of a smirk as he continued, "I think I'll go slaughter the village!"

Closing her eyes, the miko tried to block out the malicious words.

Moving closer, he gave Kikyo a rough kick to her injured shoulder.  "Well, so you're not dead.  Maybe I should keep you…I could always use the powers of a miko to help me.  After you've been properly…trained, of course."

The throbbing of her injured shoulder dimmed at those hateful words, chased far away into petty insignificance.  Kikyo pressed her face to the cool grass, suddenly too drained to do anything but wish for rest.

*****

Even from here, Inuyasha could see the dark liquid seeping from Kikyo's shoulder and into the ground, bleeding into the very roots of the plants and tainting them.  

Drawing Tetsusaiga from its sheath, Inuyasha concentrated all his energy into the blade as he called forth an attack.

"KAZE NO KIZU!!!"

Just before the slashing wind blades hit, the white-haired figure whirled around and stared at Inuyasha with a shocked expression.  The golden eyes that mirrored his own flashed a blood red hue, piercing him with a gaze of pure hate.

Naraku.

*****

The voice had stopped.  Cool, comforting winds blew gently across her face, and Kikyo gathered up enough strength to let her eyes flicker open.  Once again the landscape lay calm and silent before her, a sighing breath of fresh air echoing through the plants.

He'd gone already.  Inu—no, no.  Better not to name him, better to leave him blank, better to wipe weak emotions away from her heart and leave her path clear before her.  Better to do that than to be swayed by the twinges of her own heart, which would not be quieted, which made her hesitant and indecisive.

Staggering upward, the miko clutched painfully at her immobile, dangling right arm.  She had a task to complete now, and all those sentiments must be brushed away for later; her village, her wards, her children were in danger and they were her first priority.

Not him.  Him—later.

A blur silvery that caught the light and gave it back in an opalescent gleam.  Kikyo turned, but far too slowly.  He was heading towards her, and there was nothing that she could do to prevent it, nothing.  Helpless, trapped, her bow left outside the village, nothing left to stop him from destroying her precious village, ripping it into mangled shreds as he had done to her heart, leaving it to drift away, scattering in the chill wind—

Hands reached out for her, and she could feel the metallic scratch of those horribly sharp claws scraping along her skin—but the hands were gentle, warm, reassuring.  She felt herself lifted up, and gazed into amber-gold eyes that bespoke of tender worry.  All at once her cold wall of resolve weakened and crumbled under those eyes, that look that promised everything would be fine…

…No!  No, it's a trick!

Tears blurred her vision and she pushed herself violently from the entrapping, suddenly suffocating grip of his arms.  Her hands fisted in the soft red cloth, fingers scrabbling wildly, her voice gasping out in choked sobs.  

"Please—please, no, I don't want—_leave_, I don't—"

"Kikyo!  It's ok, listen to me!"  Inuyasha stared anxiously at the fighting girl in his arms, trying his best to soothe her.  "I can explain ev—"

"Leave!  I don't want you!  Just leave, leave, please, I cannot…" Kikyo's last words trailed off into nothingness as she wept silently, uncontrollably, still shoving away from the hanyô.  He stared at her in shocked dismay, trying to find words to explain but unable to begin.  

The slow _plop-plop_ of dripping liquid awoke him from his thoughts, and he stared, dumbfounded, at his bloodstained hands for a second.  Transferring his gaze to Kikyo's shoulder, he noticed with horror the way the dark liquid had dyed her whole kimono top crimson.  Wordlessly, Inuyasha set the girl gently on the ground and began making hasty bandages, tearing strips of cloth away from his shirt with his teeth.  Peeling Kikyo's once-white kimono back from her injuries, the hanyô wiped off as much blood as possible and began binding the wounds up.

Kikyo stiffened, and Inuyasha stopped his work to gaze anxiously at the miko.  Would she start to fight him again?  But the girl simply sighed, closed her eyes, and relaxed, apparently too exhausted to make another move.  Continuing his task, Inuyasha gently bound each deep slash, his mouth setting into a grim line as he surveyed the injuries Naraku had inflicted.

Naraku…! 

Inuyasha's eyes flashed, and his fingernails bit into his palm as he clenched his fists.  _At last, I finally got you back, you bastard…_   Glancing back down at Kikyo, his expression softened a little as he quickly peeled more makeshift bandages away from his clothing.  _…for you, Kikyo.  He won't be able to hurt you anymore._

*****

What is this?  

A dim haze of light hovered above her, and someone sat to her side.  Shifting slightly, Kikyo felt a stiffness in her right shoulder, but she sat up, allowing her eyes to adjust.  The figure to her left blinked slowly into focus.

"Kikyo!  You're awake!"  

He bent over her, offering a flask of water, one hand moving to her back to steady her.

"Here, just dri—"

Inuyasha was toppled backwards as a violent shove caught him off-balance, knocking over the clay beaker of water.  It fell, rolling over the slick grass before shattering upon impact with a tree trunk.  He stared in disbelief at the girl before him.

"K-kikyo!"

"Do not talk to me!"  The miko's voice rose, cutting off any more words Inuyasha had to offer.  "I have no need of your lies, you trickery, your fake sympathy any longer."  She took a deep, shuddering breath.  "I…I trusted you!  I trusted you like the fool I am and now I know better."

"No, just listen to—"  
  
"I don't want to!"  Tears traced wet patterns down her cheeks again.  She knew that if she had to listen to him any longer, her heart would melt again; she wouldn't be able to do what she had to.  Stupid heart.  Touching a hand to her bandaged shoulder, the miko continued, regardless of the fact that her vision was misted with salty tears.  "Do not even bother to explain to me why you have taken care of my wounds; I suppose it is just another of your schemes, another way to play with me."  Why did her chest feel like it was ripping apart?  "How could you do this?  After you said that to me?  Said that you loved me?"  She was crying in earnest now, wet droplets dropping down like spring rains, but rain brought relief while these only increased the burning sensation in her heart.  "I trusted you, but I was a fool, so stu—"

"But I meant it!"  He stood slowly, moving closer to her, holding out a hand that she had to fight herself not to reach out and touch.  "I meant all of it, Kikyo.  Please.  Please, listen to me."

She shook her head numbly in disbelief as he walked toward her, his hair catching the light as he moved out of the shadows.  

"Please."

Kikyo froze in place as she stared mutely at him, arguments dying in her throat as her legs crumpled and she knelt weakly on the ground, her gaze still transfixed on him.  Inuyasha.  A faint whisper escaped her lips.

"Your hair…"  It gleamed dully, now a deep, bluish-black hue in the morning sun.  Her trembling fingers reached out to touch it as he bent down towards her.  "It is not real.  It's an illusion," the miko murmured, her eyes pleading with him to say otherwise.  

Inuyasha faltered out an explanation.  "Kikyo, it was Onigumo…he willingly became possessed by demons, in order to take the Shikon Jewel…but I destroyed him…it's over now, and the Shikon is gone…"

"Are you sure about that?" a cold voice sneered, echoing across the small clearing.

He recognized that voice immediately.  "Naraku!"

"Pitiful halfling," Naraku taunted.  "Did you think your attack actually killed me?  Oh, I received some injuries, to be sure…but I am far from dead."  A movement rifled in the trees behind him; Inuyasha turned, shoving Kikyo behind him.  He instinctively fingered Tetsusaiga, but the blade remained cold and useless.

"Perhaps I should let you two lovers…"  Now leaves rustled from the front, too; swirls of movement circled the clearing.  Inuyasha grimaced, wishing that he had not been so quick to use the Shikon to transform.  "…be alone for a while longer, eh?  Don't worry, though, I'll be back when you least expect it."

"Onigumo!"  Kikyo rose, speaking in the general direction from whence the voice had come.  "You…decided to bond with demons?  Chose to lose your own soul in order to gain the Shikon?  For mere power?"

"Girl, Onigumo is only a part of me now.  I have no use for the weak human desires held within him…and no use for you."  The yôkai's voice lost its casual tone, gaining a hint of poison.  "And not for you, Inuyasha.  You are the one…who lost me my jewel.  I could have controlled everything; become unstoppable."  There was an ominous pause.  Inuyasha growled, pulling out the untransformed Tetsusaiga from its sheath.

"…And I still will.  Beginning with you."  Slowly, the movement stopped and a relieved silence descended over the clearing.  Inuyasha dropped Tetsusaiga and sighed.  They were safe—for now.  Naraku would be back; he would bet his life on that.

"That was Onigumo…?"  Kikyo placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes…or what he has become."  He leaned up against a nearby tree, sighing again.  "He'll be back."

She nodded.

"Kikyo…"  Without another word, Inuyasha pulled her towards him to engulf the girl in a warm embrace.  She leaned against his shoulder, glad for the support, realization finally sinking fully into her body as she let the full flood of emotions swallow her.  Two final tears slid down her cheek as she closed her eyes and whispered, "You used the Shikon no Tama…you kept your promise…Inuyasha…"

This feeling…one I have not had in such a long time…the feeling of peace… 

A/N:  Uh-uh, it's not over yet!  Don't you dare think that!  *Grins*  One more chapter, with a little kick at the end that I think all of you Kagome/Inu fans will enjoy!…that is, when I get it rewritten…T_T  *Mumbles and wanders off*


	8. Heart's Content

A/N: This is it, pplz…

Second Chance

By Sango-chan

Chapter Seven

Heart's Content

Yawning hugely, Inuyasha rolled over as he stretched and opened his eyes.  Noting the still-warm empty space on the straw mat beside him and the slightly open reed door covering, he concluded that Kikyo had left not to long before, at most a few minutes.  How she'd done that he had no idea—the riotous celebration the village had held over the Shikon no Tama had lasted far into the night.  He and Kikyo had slipped out in the middle of them to perform a small bonding ceremony, the only spectators to that event being themselves and Kaede.  It had been quiet and solitary, but Inuyasha had enjoyed it far more than the noisy revelry of the townsfolk.  He glanced at Kaede's slumbering form by the hearth, stretched, and then quietly let himself out.

"Ow!" Inuyasha yelped as he placed weight on his left leg.  Wincing, he rubbed the cramp there and grumbled unhappily.  He was still getting used to his new form, and some of the changes were definitely for the worse.

_But it's not as bad as it could be, _the former hanyô consoled himself.  While nowhere near the strength of his hanyô form, Inuyasha's new body was not quite as weak as a human's, either.  As he jogged along, he explored the sensations from this body.  

Unlike the transformation during the new moons, Inuyasha's sight, hearing, and smell hadn't dimmed completely.  Pulling a lock of hair in front of his eyes, he confirmed that it was a normal black color.  But…he'd seen his reflection in a still pond last night, and his eyes hadn't changed at all.  Inuyasha frowned, mulling over the oddity of the Shikon-induced transformation but just as quickly dismissed the thought as something unexplainable.

"Mmmmm…"  Sniffing the damp morning air experimentally, Inuyasha relaxed as Kikyo's scent drifted toward him on the breeze—muted by his weaker senses, but still unmistakably hers.  Bounding ahead a few more meters, he cleared the line of trees and saw her in a small patch of flowers, her back to him.  A jolt went through him as he realized that she still wore the unmistakable red and white clothing of a miko.  _What…does she still have her powers?  Does that mean something went wrong, that the Shikon…?  _Heart in his throat, Inuyasha rushed forward.

Turning with that special sixth sense that she'd always possessed, Kikyo spotted Inuyasha running towards her.  Seeing the anxious expression on his face, she asked, "What is wrong?"

"Kikyo!"  Slightly out of breath, he grasped her free arm and hurriedly let words spill out.  "Was something wrong?  Your clothes—the Shikon no Tama—is—?"

"Oh…was that it?"  Laughing softly, she shook her head.  "Nothing like that."

Inuyasha plopped down in the grass at Kikyo's feet.  "That's good," he said, blushing slightly at his overreaction.  "Uh…so why are still dressed that way if you don't have your powers anymore?" he quickly added, trying to gloss over his mistake.

"The villagers wanted me to continue on protecting them.  And…they also asked me to train the children.  I am glad that I can still be of some help to them," Kikyo answered, carefully setting her bunch of flowers aside as she sat beside him.

Snorting, Inuyasha responded, "Feh.  You just wanna be near those brats you like so much."

Her eyes sparkled mischievously, and the former miko didn't deny his accusation.  "Perhaps.  You should get to know them better, Inuyasha."

"Wha?"  Staring at the girl in disbelief, Inuyasha gawked in mute disbelief before replying, "Me?  Why would I want to get near the brats?"

"It could be good experience."

Inuyasha let that idea sink in.  _Hmm…brats…little pups of our own someday.  _He decided that he might actually like that idea.  "Fine, fine.  But I'm not letting them climb all over my hair."

They sat in peaceful silence for a while longer, watching as the fog slowly lifted and a few piercing rays of sunlight illuminated the village below their viewpoint.  Inuyasha stole glances at Kikyo every few seconds.  _She's really changed, _he realized as he soaked in the features of her face.  _She's so…different.  And in a good way.  She seems…content.  _

"You seem so happy," Inuyasha spoke up, voicing his thoughts.

"Why should I not?"  Turning her attention to picking stray leaves off of a flower stem, Kikyo concentrated on her work.  "Since my powers have left me…I…I feel free.  I am no longer different from anyone, no longer singled out.  It is a wonderful feeling."  Her peaceful expression mirrored her words perfectly.  "Perhaps you do not understand.  You have always enjoyed your power, but…I loathed mine."

Shooting Kikyo a strange look, he softly stated, "Maybe we're not that different."  Sure, he'd loved that feeling of being stronger, of being able to protect himself, but all that he would have given up for one day of being normal.  Of escaping the stares of demons and humans, the suspicious glares and jeering smirks.  "I'm not sure that this isn't better," Inuyasha added.

"Mm."  Kikyo leaned against his shoulder and sighed.

_This is perfect, _Inuyasha thought as he dozed with Kikyo's warm weight on his shoulder.  _Wouldn't it be so wonderful if this moment could just last forever?  But…  _A thought had been nagging him, an ugly thing that grew and fed on his fears and doubts.  He felt he had to express it, but…to spoil this?  Sighing, Inuyasha knew that he had to get it off his mind.

"It's about—"

"Yes?" Kikyo probed.

"Naraku," he finally spilled out.  "You know we aren't…safe…not yet.  He's still out there, and he's probably still waiting for us."  He could feel his body tensing up as he waited nervously for Kikyo's reaction.

"I know that."

"But aren't you worried?  I…I can't even use the Tetsusaiga now…it can't be used by a human.  I can't even protect you now!"  Wincing at this final hard fact, Inuyasha clenched his fists.

"Look at me."  Backing away slightly, Kikyo turned until she met his eyes.  "Shhh…do not worry about all that now.  I place my trust in you."  Seeing he was about to protest again, the miko placed a finger over his lips.  "I shall be standing by you."

Even as the warmth of her words washed over him, Inuyasha was hit by a wave of nostalgia.  _Ka…Kagome… _he thought as his heart gave a painful jerk.  He didn't doubt his decision, and yet…there were times when a little thing would bring her back.  Her smiles, her voice, her scent…he wondered if he would ever be rid of Kagome's lingering presence, and most of all if he wanted to be.  While he knew that his choice had been, and still was, to stay by Kikyo's side, a tiny fragment of his mind wanted to remember Kagome, to wonder how she would have acted, what she would have said, how she would have looked.  To bring her to life in his dreams.

_But I can't, _he chastised himself, biting his lip.  _I can't._

"…should return.  Kaede will be…"

Distantly, he could hear Kikyo's voice.  She was saying something, something about going back.  Inuyasha forced a stiff smile on his face and jumped up, grabbing Kikyo's bouquet.  "Yeah.  Let's go."

As they reached their hut, Inuyasha brushed the reed door-covering aside, preparing to step in.  He paused then moved back towards Kikyo, who had stopped by a flowering tree.  "Hurry up!"

Kikyo complied, walking up behind him to place something in Inuyasha's thick black mane.

"What the…"  Plucking the item out, Inuyasha stared at the white blossom in his palm.  "What _is_ this?"

"Dogwood," she said with a smile.

He gazed at her happy expression, and his eyes widened with shock.  At that moment all of Inuyasha's doubts, his second-guessings, the dark questions that lurked unsaid, all melted away as he stared at Kikyo's radiant face.  

_Ka…?  _

_Hmph.  _Inuyasha breathed out a deep, relaxing breath and gently tucked the dogwood blossom in Kikyo's dark tresses.  Smiling, he took her hand and walked back towards their simple dwelling, content at heart at last.  

Her smile was Kagome's.

*****

Higurashi Kagome stopped abruptly at her front door, slowly turning a full circle.  Dropping her backpack on the steps, the teenage girl headed towards the mini-shrine on her family's property.  She paused at the shrine doors, and then shook her head.  The girl's gaze roved around the large grounds and finally rested on the giant Shinboku tree.  Like someone in a dream, she headed towards it.

_Why am I doing this? _She'd never been interested in any of the ridiculous tales Grandpa told about the items in her home, never been interested in his spells and chants, his claims of the power of the spirits.  So why, why now, was she here?  _I should just get back in and start my homework.  _But the girl didn't move.   Slowly, hesitantly, Kagome lifted a hand and stroked the smooth, barkless patch about five feet up on the trunk of the ancient tree.  

An intense wave of emotion hit her suddenly, shockingly, and so abruptly that she felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach. An all-encompassing melancholy that bespoke of a loss so great that her whole being ached.  The pain of something precious gained, and then gone again, of something indescribably important…raising a hand to her cheek, Kagome was surprised to find a single tear rolling down.

Kagome backed away as if she'd been stung, clutching the offending hand to her chest.  _Stupid.  Ridiculous, really.  I've been having too many late-night study sessions.  _And yet…that single unexplainable moment had been more poignant, more _real_ somehow than anything the girl had ever experienced.  She reached once more for the smooth wood, feeling something about the tree tug at her.

"Higurashi!"

Spinning around, Kagome glanced downward to the source of the voice.  A boy stood by his bicycle at the base of the steps leading up to the shrine, a boy with a familiar school uniform and silvery white hair…

"You all right, Higurashi?  You looked kinda…y'know…weird."

"Um…yeah, I'm all right.  Perfect," Kagome said quickly, blushing furiously as she rubbed her face dry.  Of all the people to have caught her crying…!  Okuda Hanyoki…the boy she'd had a crush on for so many years…  Hanyoki was a strange character at school, with his white-colored hair and ears like…well, a dog's.  He preferred to be alone, rarely joining in on any school events except for sports, which he excelled at.  Some people called him stuck-up and arrogant, but Kagome was fascinated by the solitary, reclusive boy.  Had been fascinated ever since he moved to her school in fourth grade.

"That's good.  Yeah."  Throwing one leg over his bicycle, the boy started pedaling away, and then stopped and looked back.  Was it her imagination or was he blushing slightly…?

"Hey, Higurashi, one thing…"

"Yeah?"  Brilliant comeback.  A stroke of genius.

"Well…I was wondering if you were…uh…busy on Friday?  After school?"  Hanyoki was definitely blushing now, a deep crimson shade as he picked at his handlebars nervously.  Kagome's mind whirled giddily and she could feel her own cheeks darkening.  _Can he be…?_

"…cuz if you aren't, then, uh…would you…"

_…asking me out?!_

"…come with me to see a movie!" Hanyoki blurted out in a rush.

"Yes!  Oh, yes, definitely!"  Was it possible to be happier than this?

"Great!  Then I'll see you!"  Pedaling off in earnest this time, the boy shot back one stunning grin before turning the corner and riding out of sight.

Heart thumping joyously, Kagome turned and ran off past the Shinboku tree without a second glance, past the closed shrine doors, and whirled, laughing into her house, still carrying that sweet grin with her.

End Second Chance 


End file.
